Saw that he was suspended 50 games and thought worst possible situation where he was using an actual performance enhancer. Saw it was marijuana and it was kind of a sigh of relief. Not too surprising but I didn't realize that was a 50 game suspension. Mistake no doubt, but it could have been a lot worse.

mhardy_03 wrote:Saw that he was suspended 50 games and thought worst possible situation where he was using an actual performance enhancer. Saw it was marijuana and it was kind of a sigh of relief. Not too surprising but I didn't realize that was a 50 game suspension. Mistake no doubt, but it could have been a lot worse.

I'd almost rather it be a PED. If you're going to be stupid, at least be trying to get better while you're being stupid.

mhardy_03 wrote:Saw that he was suspended 50 games and thought worst possible situation where he was using an actual performance enhancer. Saw it was marijuana and it was kind of a sigh of relief. Not too surprising but I didn't realize that was a 50 game suspension. Mistake no doubt, but it could have been a lot worse.

50 Games because it was his Second Failed Test.

"under baseball's minor league drug program following a second positive test for a drug of abuse on Monday"

Editorial from our old buddy Passan:One of baseball's best prospects got suspended for 50 games Monday. He did not drive drunk. He did not hit a woman. He did not cheat in a game. He did something legal in four states, decriminalized in 16 and completely endorsed this time next year, when he's on a major league roster.

Reefer madness is alive and well in baseball. Alex Reyes, a 100-mph-throwing starter in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, was suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for blazing something other than fastballs. Marijuana use among minor league players is prohibited by MLB, a rule that's not just outdated but inconsistent and unnecessary.http://sports.yahoo.com/news/baseball-s ... 45403.html

You can argue it's outdated, inconsistent, whatever, but it's a rule. A rule he was aware of after being popped the first time. A rule he chose not to obey. And no matter whether you agree with the rule or not, it's still a rule.

R27 wrote:You can argue it's outdated, inconsistent, whatever, but it's a rule. A rule he was aware of after being popped the first time. A rule he chose not to obey. And no matter whether you agree with the rule or not, it's still a rule.

I wasn't trying to say it wasn't his fault or anything like that. It is 100% his fault and he knew the rule and needs to accept it and move on without making the same mistake again.

Other comments I made were just that IMO it could have been much worse if it were PEDs because that would mean him being a top prospect and possible future ace could have been in doubt because of this. But marijuana isn't a PED so I see no reason to think the evaluation of his abilities should be changed by this. And the rule being different for MLB and MILB is stupid and needs to be changed. Why would it be OK to use in the majors but not the minors? I honestly don't care which way it goes but it should be consistent across all levels.

But neither of those should affect his suspension. He got caught and has to serve the penalty. It seems like he is owning up to it from his statement he put out, which is good.

mhardy_03 wrote:And the rule being different for MLB and MILB is stupid and needs to be changed. Why would it be OK to use in the majors but not the minors? I honestly don't care which way it goes but it should be consistent across all levels.

Because the MLBPA doesn't care about minor league players. So they negotiated themselves a nice exemption and Minor Leaguers are left with no representation to do the same. It's the same reason why Major League rookies make more in a day than most Triple-A players make in a month.

Marijuana use in MLB is under the Joint Drug Agreement and has a special exemption. It is still technically against the rules (though they don't specifically test for it unless they figure out you may have been using), but you only get fined for it.

Alex Reyes' suspension in the minors for marijuana use has ended and the 21-year-old righthander made his first start at Class AAA Memphis on Sunday in an 8-1 win over Fresno. He allowed two hits, walked three, hit one and struck out eight over four innings. He threw 85 pitches after spending the last two months at extended spring training in Jupiter, Fla.

Ridiculous rules are still rules. And the suspension only kicks in after the second positive test. So he was nailed before and knew what the next positive test would bring and still couldn't stay away.

If someone told me, "You can play professional baseball, but you can't smoke weed." I would not be smoking weed. To do anything else shows you take it for granted.